AleSmith Decadence 2008

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Diego, California USA

Bottle… Cloudy burnt orange ale with a small, off-white head. The aroma is not so good. Caramel with an unpleasant, earthy acidity to it. Full-bodied with lively carbonation. The flavor is sweet and caramely for a moment, and then concedes to the unpleasant, moldy, tangy yeast/bacteria that has obviously found its way into the bottle. Finishes more earthy and tangy than sweet and luxurious. This can’t be what was intended, yet I’ve tried four bottles with the same result.

Bottle. Thanks bvc. Big, tangy, gingery, very well balanced. Tart and brandyish, bright yet intense, very nice.

750ml bottle. Sweet red fruit and caramel malt aroma. Flavor is slightly and unexpectedly sour with Sour dried cherries, toasted malt, candi sugar, and earth hops. There is obviously some sort of problem here with the sourness and rather strange ripe sugar flavor which is a real shame - this could have been an awesome beer. I may re-rate in the future after it has aged a bit and perhaps settled down...

Nice aroma of dates and hints of smoke. Flavor has a distinctly tart edge to it; unripe green apple tartness and a rather thin mouth-feel.

750. thanks, bvc! crystal clear dark brown with bright caramel highlights and some floaters. minimal head and lace. big sweet doughy malt nose with some touches of balsamic. creamy medium body. grass, caramel, sweet dough, and ginger mid palate. long balsamic finish.

750ml bottle from south bay. pours beautifully with a deep, mahogany red color and a soft, light khaki head and great lacing. aroma is well, unexpected, but honstly, it’s quite good with tart fruit notes of cherry, red plum, and craisin with notes of burnt sugar, sweet toffee, and bit of booze. the toffee and sweetness of the malts really come through as the beer warms. flavor is wonderful and definitely a tale of two beers with mild, tart fruit notes of black cherry, green apple, and dried apricot with a bit of cider spice come through up front that mellow elegantly into flavors of big, sweet heath bar toffee, vanilla bean, walnut, and a touch of smokey wood with butterscotch on the finish. palate is smooth and mildly carbonated with the slightest touch of alcohol warmth. overall, this really is an excellent beer that i believe is being affected by "infection propaganda" or maybe i just got lucky. either way, cheers to AleSmith.

Bottle at BCTC 2009: Murky muddy brown deep copper appearance. Has a hugely sweet aroma of molasses, toasted coconut, honey, vanilla- overly sweet with no nuance. Slick, hot body with a buttery flavor with lots of astringency- both sugary and alcohol. Some raisin, plum and hot vanilla. Eh, under attenuated. Maybe it’ll be drinkable in 15 years.

Infected(sad-face) but still drinkable pours dark red with low carbonation. Tart cherry with malt and leather. Sour dough malt and a tart bitter alohol finish. A sour barleywine?